Bob Seger’s classic 1976 tune “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” opens with the memorable line, “So, you’re a little bit older and a lot less bolder than you used to be.”

The song’s author, now 66, certainly qualifies for the first part of that lyrical equation. But how about the latter?

“I like to think I’m bolder now — I really do,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter says during a recent telephone news conference. “When I try to write, I try to write something really different every time, if I can. That’s the challenge. I’m really fortunate to still be working at this age. I’m not in the mood to repeat myself.”

Still, he could probably get away with penning “Against the Wind Part 2,” “More Night Moves” or “Still Still the Same.” Seger’s millions of fans just can’t seem to get enough of his distinct brand of “Old Time Rock and Roll,” a blend of rock and Detroit-style R&B bolstered by his poetic observations of life’s passions and pitfalls. It’s what compels so many people to buy tickets to his shows — which includes a Dec. 21 gig at Oakland’s Oracle Arena — and explains why Seger, who’s been in the business since the early ’60s, is now arguably in his commercial prime.

Call it the irony of classic rock. A guy who hasn’t had a Top 40 hit single since 1991’s “The Real Love” is still all over the radio and still on the album charts. Most notably, his 1994 “Greatest Hits” compilation is the top-selling catalog record of the past decade — topping the Eagles, Michael Jackson and the Beatles. It has sold more than 9 million copies in the United States alone and hasn’t slipped off the charts in 17 years (and counting).

Seger is at a loss for words as for why his classic hits continue to entice so many listeners.

“I know when I wrote them that I worked very hard on them,” he says. “I don’t know the answer to that, (but) I’m very grateful for it.”

He is, however, very aware of how much “Night Moves,” “Against the Wind” and other tracks featured on his “Greatest Hits” album mean to his fans.

“I remember when I was first starting out in the bars in ’62 and ’63, and people wanted to hear ‘My Funny Valentine.’ They wanted to hear ‘Stardust.’ They wanted to hear ‘Misty.’ They wanted to hear ‘Summertime.’ They wanted to hear classics. And in a kind of funny way, now, like ‘Against the Wind’ is a classic, and it’s very, very flattering.”

“Greatest Hits,” however, now faces some stiff competition — from Seger himself. The rocker has recently released the career-spanning “Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets,” a two-disc, 26-song collection that greatly expands upon the earlier offering.

The radio hits, however, are only part of the Bob Seger story. It was his live show that originally catapulted him to stardom in the mid-’70s. He had enjoyed success in the Detroit area as far back as 1966 — when Bob Seger and the Last Heard had a local hit with “East Side Story” — but the rest of the country really didn’t start listening until Seger and the Silver Bullet Band released “Live Bullet” in 1976.

That album was Seger’s first Top 40 smash and has since gone on to sell more than 5 million copies in the United States. It’s long been considered one of the finest live records in rock history — a snapshot of a band operating at its peak powers. After “Live Bullet,” Seger’s records routinely charted in the Top 10.

“Yeah, it really took off like a comet,” Seger reflects on “Live Bullet.” “We had played so many shows. I think the previous year, ’74, we played 350 out of 365 possible nights. So, that’s how hard we were working, and we were pretty tight when we did ‘Live Bullet’ that night.

“But did I have any idea that it would be that big? No. And I was very grateful for that.”

Seger still prides himself on his live show. He mixes up the set list from tour to tour, but he always sticks to a fundamental blueprint.

“How we structure the show (is) I like to go fast, faster, fastest, and then drop down to a ballad,” he says. “If there’s anything that I do at a fairly consistent level, it’s that. For some reason, that works good for me.”

The Oakland gig should be particularly heavy on the “Old Time Rock and Roll,” since Seger is touring in support of a new greatest hits collection. But next time he brings his road show through town — and Seger says he does plan to tour again after this year — it could be a different story.

“I think I’m going to start writing when this tour is over,” says Seger, who is looking forward to recording a new album. “First of the year, that’s the first thing I’m going to do, and I’m going to write until the end of March. It’s going to be a three-month period of pure writing.”

But how well do you really know Bob Seger? Here’s some hard-core Seger trivia, complete with comments from the man himself.

1 In the classic song “Night Moves,” Seger sings that he “started humming a song from 1962.” What song was he actually humming?

Answer: It was the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” Seger confided during a recent phone interview.

2 What’s wrong with that “Night Moves” scenario?

Answer: “Be My Baby” was actually released in 1963. “Well, yeah,” Seger says in defense, “but I wrote (‘Night Moves’) in 1976, so I was already too old and getting my dates wrong.”

3 Does Seger play traditional Christmas music at shows?

Answer: Yes. And expect some to be performed at the Oakland show.“Because it’s the Christmas season, we’re doing ‘Little Drummer Boy,’ and it’s really fun to do,” Seger says. He’s actually well-known for that song — his version was one of the highlights of the 1987 holiday compilation “A Very Special Christmas,” which raised money for the Special Olympics. It’s also featured on Seger’s newly released compilation, “Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets.”

4 The Top 40 hit “Roll Me Away” ends with Seger promising “Next time, we’ll get it right.” What’s he talking about?

Answer: The song is a travelogue inspired by a motorcycle trip Seger took in 1980. Its centerpiece is a brief — and, Seger adds, entirely fictional — romance with a woman he met along the way. That last line is the protagonist’s pledge to do better with his next relationship.

5 Seger has met several of his musical idols over the years — including Bob Dylan, Tina Turner and Little Richard. There’s one icon, however, he never got to meet. Any guesses who?

Answer: “I’m sorry that I never met James Brown, because he was one of my hugest influences,” he says.

6 Like fellow classic-rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Eagles, Seger has been incredibly influential with modern country artists. What’s his favorite country song of the year?

Answer: If you guessed Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup,” you’re wrong. Showing impeccable taste, Seger calls the Civil Wars’ “Barton Hollow” his favorite of 2011. That shows that this 60-something rocker is still paying attention — the Civil Wars, a critically acclaimed alt-country duo, just released its debut earlier this year. Seger says the duo’s “harmonies are spectacular.”

7 What inspired the song “Against the Wind”?

Answer: The song is not as metaphorical as it sounds. After failing to make it as a quarterback in high school, young Seger signed up for track and field. His passion for running and training, he says, was the initial inspiration for “Against the Wind.” “I always wanted to write a song about being a runner,” he says. “I don’t think anybody got that, but that’s where the ‘Against the Wind’ title came from.”

Jim Harrington is the pop music critic for the Bay Area News Group. He began writing about the Bay Area music scene in 1992 and became the full-time pop music critic for the organization's Oakland Tribune in 2006. He is a South Bay native and graduate of San Francisco State University.